My entry for the "Does My Being Half-Naked Bother You" One-Shot Contest on The Air, The Sun (Livejournal). You really should go and read all of the entries. They are amazing!

Thank you to niamhg for pre-reading and Wolfgirl Cheri for beta-ing. :-)

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Disclaimer : The following is based on the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer. All recognizable and/or trademarked elements, including, but not limited to, characters, settings, events, etcetera, are the property of their respective owners. No copyright infringement is intended. The author of this specific is not associated with Stephenie Meyer, or any affiliates involved with the Twilight series. This work is intended for entertainment purposes only, and no profit is knowingly generated as a result of it. Only aspects entirely unique and original to this story are owned by this story's author.

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Drunken Confessions and Wet Dreams

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Bella arrived in Forks on a late July evening.

After her parents got divorced, she went to live with her mom in Arizona. She made new friends, went to college, started dating the gorgeous Edward Cullen. Later on, after she got her college degree, she started to work at the Arizona State University library. She was content living in Arizona, but eventually she started missing her dad and her hometown.

Boyfriend troubles might have played a part why she was coming back home, too.

Bella had met Edward when she was still high school and he a college student. They had been quite intense with each other right from the beginning. While Edward always had that brooding aura around him, she was head over heels and oh-so-much devoted, leaving behind what made her uniquely Bella to become the perfect little woman Edward wanted to have by his side.

She realized that she was giving up too much of herself to be someone that Edward considered perfect. When Edward asked her to move in with him, she balked. There was just too much that bothered her about him. She simply couldn't turn a blind eye on it anymore.

When she told her dad that she had broken up with her boyfriend, he had invited her to Forks. A change of location was the best method to clear one's mind. Also, she hadn't been to Forks in over twelve years, and it was about time that she came home. He wasn't getting any younger after all, and it bothered him for a damn long time already that Edward deemed the small town of Forks not good enough for them to spend vacation at.

The first few days, Bella got accustomed to living with her dad. Charlie was very easy to be around with. He didn't hover, but he was happy to hear her out and give her advice whenever she felt the need to talk with him about her failed relationship.

She instantly felt at home in her old room. Not much had changed since she had been here the last time. All of her paintings still covered the walls. A string of lights was wrapped around the headboard of her bed. A dreamcatcher, woven by clumsy little hands, hung from the bed post, reminding her of her former childhood friend, Jacob Black.

She briefly wondered what had become of him. When she had moved away from Forks with her mom after her parents got divorced, she was 14, and Jacob was 12. They had tried to keep up their friendship with occasional letters and phone calls, but after a year or so, their contact had petered out.

A couple of days later, when Bella had settled, she made true on her promise and went to visit her friend, Jessica. Jessica Stanley was one of her middle school friends, and the only one Bella had stayed in touch with over all these years.

Bella knocked at the front door, impatiently waiting for Jessica to let her in. She brought two bottles of wine, but otherwise they had agreed not to cook but to order in. With a squeal, Jessica ripped the door open, throwing her arms around Bella's neck.

"I missed you so much. It's been way too long, Bella!" she cried.

Bella tried to stay upright, awkwardly hugging Jessica back. "If you let me in, Jess, I can put away these bottles and give you a proper greeting," she said laughing.

"Okay, okay." Jessica took a step back and looked Bella over. "Wow, look at you," she gushed. "You grew up nicely."

Bella slipped into the house and walked into the kitchen, putting the bottles onto the counter. When she turned around, she gave Jessica a long, tight hug. "I can say the same about you, Jess. You're smoking hot, chickie."

As they sat down on the sofa, Jessica opened the first bottle of wine. "I have already ordered pizza. It should arrive in about twenty minutes," she said, and then their evening began.

Jessica told her the latest gossip like Lauren Mallory getting caught cheating with Mike Newton, who was supposed to marry Lauren's sister Annie, by Lauren's finance, Ben Cheney. "And can you believe it?" she asked, shaking her head in disbelief. "Now Ben is shacking up with Annie, Mike is inconsolable, but still didn't stop his affair with Lauren. Meanwhile, Lauren is sleeping around with whoever she can..."

Jessica and Bella both took a big swig from their glasses, and stated simultaneously, "What a slut!"

They were both a little tipsy when Jessica started to talk about how the Crowley's roof caught fire two weeks ago, and the firefighters had to come and put the fire out. She got that dreamy look in her eyes when she described in detail how one of the firemen, namely Paul Lahote, climbed up the ladder, and saved Tyler Crowley's little daughter.

"What? I couldn't help myself. Seeing him… all tall, dark, and sexy... Sweating and covered with soot... Holding that kid in his arms... My ovaries were screaming." Jessica's eyes glazed over. "I wonder what he's like in bed. He's supposed to have quite the reputation, you know."

"So you didn't try him yet? You aren't that shy normally," Bella giggled, nipping at her wine.

"Ah, shut up. Could be I might have fallen in love with him. I am that shy right now." Jessica scooted a bit closer. She whispered into Bella's ear: "But I'm considering my chances, you know. I'm watching him, waiting for just the right moment... and then... BAM! He's going to fall for me hook, line and sinker!"

They howled with laughter and emptied their glasses.

"That brings us to the question," Jessica said after refilling the wine glasses. "What is going on between you and Edward? You mentioned something about breaking up with him?"

Bella shook her head yes. "I broke up with him. Yes. Being apart from him makes me even more realize how controlling and demanding he actually was. It was always only about him, and how I needed to try to be better. I always felt like I wasn't good enough for him."

Bella smiled and felt as if a huge weight was lifted from her shoulders. "Being here, I finally feel like myself again. You know, I'm also considering staying here for a longer time. You wouldn't know if Forks needs a new librarian, would you?"

They started making plans for Bella's near future, which included finding a job and an apartment or small house. Just when their stomachs started to growl, the doorbell rang.

"Pizza!" Jessica cried out and they ran to the door, squealing and pushing each other as if they were teens. They ripped the door open, startling the pizza guy.

"Uh, hello handsome," Bella said in greeting, the alcohol making her brazen. She looked at Jessica and whispered, "Is that Paul?" Staring up at the tall, massive man standing in the doorway, she didn't realize she had spoken louder than intended.

"Nope, I'm Quil. Quil Ateara," tall, dark and handsome said in response and smirked at them.

Bella took the pizza boxes from Quil's hands and purred, "Two things I have missed the last few years... Good pizza and..." She looked Quil up and down, saying bluntly, "Good sex!"

Jessica nudged Bella aside, swaying a bit on her feet. "Don't listen to her. She can't hold her liquor." She pulled out some money, leaned in and shoved it in his breast pocket. She rubbed her hand across his chest and said in a sultry voice, "Keep the rest."

"You can't feel him up like this, Jess," Bella sang. "It's rude." She giggled and danced into the kitchen, putting the boxes on the counter. "Even when he's buff like that!"

"I don't mind, honey," Quil called out and laughed. "And I'm quite sure I can help you out with your..." He leered at Bella. "...problem. I'm better than Paul anyway!"

"No way!" Jessica shouted and pushed Quil out of the door. "Better than Paul my ass."

"This guy seems to know your Paul," Bella said, opening the pizza boxes. "Yum! Veggie pizza! You still remember? It's my favorite!" She quickly cut herself a slice of pizza and shoved it into her mouth. "God," she moaned. "That's good. We have to order in again tomorrow, and when this Quil guy delivers, you ask him about Paul, will ya?"

"Why? Are you trying to move in on my man?" Jessica joked and smirked mischievously. "There's hell to pay if you do!"

Bella almost choked on her pizza. "What? NO! I don't need any man. I'm just glad I got rid of my Ex." She then realized that Jessica was kidding and giggled. "You almost had me there, Jess."

"Let's be true, B," Jessica said, poking her friend teasingly. "Even if you don't need a new boyfriend, you need to get laid properly, because when I look at you..." She made some mystic gestures with her hands, circling Bella with an odd humming. "I sense an aura of sexual frustration and unrequited needs."

Jessica lifted her hands. "I was just fooling around, Bella. No need to panic! But you said it yourself... you haven't had good sex in years! How's that?" She pulled Bella into the living room and made her sit down on the sofa.

"I don't know how to say it." Bella blushed and shifted in her seat uncomfortably.

"See, when Edward asked me to move in with him... There is... there was... and I... I... But then he would want me to... more often... And I didn't want to. It's good, but I... I... I want more … expect more... but he never... knew or understood what I wanted..." Bella rambled and ended up with a face as red as a fire hydrant.

"What? Sorry, I didn't quite catch that," Jessica laughed.

"It's sort of embarrassing really." Bella let her hair fall forward so it was hiding her face.

She got up and pulled a bottle of Rum from the cupboard, along with two shot glasses. She poured in the golden liquid, and held a glass out for Bella. "Drink up!" she ordered and downed her own drink.

Bella threw her head back and emptied her glass. She coughed a little. "Damn, that's good, girl." She relaxed into the sofa, waiting for Jessica to join her again.

"Now spill," said Jessica.

The alcohol made her brave. "Edward and I... we didn't match. Or I don't know... I always thought it was my fault, but looking back I think that maybe the chemistry just wasn't there. I always thought that sex should be like in my mom's romance novels, but with Edward it was only ever... well, comfortable and nice, but not... ah..." She blushed even more. "...not the toe-curling, mind-numbing sex. No screaming orgasms... Geesh..."

Bella grabbed the bottle of wine and took a big swig right from the bottle. "You've had more lovers than I have, Jess. You need to be honest with me. Is it me?"

"I'm quite sure it's not you, doll." Jessica poured them another glass of rum. "So you can have orgasms, right?"

"Uh, yeah..." Bella sank into the sofa a bit more. The rum left a warm, tingling feeling in her limbs, and actually it was quite easy to talk with Jessica about... girl things. "Having no problems with that." She giggled and wiggled her fingers in front of her. "I've got two healthy hands after all."

Jessica gaped at her in utter disbelief. "YOUR hands? Didn't Edward get you off? The heck, girl!"

Bella shook her head. "It somehow never really worked, but he tried..." She paused, biting her lip. "...in the beginning..."

Jessica buried her face in her hands, groaning. "He tried. IN THE BEGINNING? I can't believe it, Bella. How long have you been with him? I would have left his untalented ass- LATEST-after the third try."

"Guess you're right," Bella admitted. "I fell for his good looks. He is sexy. He has that sophisticated kind of sexiness-with this tousled, bed-head hair-but sharply dressed otherwise. You know, my friends were so envious when we started to date. He never realized how crazy all the girls were about him. Even now that he's a college professor and dresses even more conservatively, that still hasn't changed."

"Ten years older? And here I thought he was one hundred and seven, given his old-fashioned, outdated manners."

They both burst out in wild laughter.

"But you weren't happy," Jessica stated eventually.

"No, I obviously wasn't. I was trying so hard to please Edward in every way, but he always found something I hadn't done well enough," Bella said, twisting a strand of her hair around her finger. "He also never really accepted any of my decisions." If at all, he would only say 'If you think so,' using that patronizing tone she hated so much. "I realized that I had seen him look at me with a disapproving frown far more often than with a loving smile. When my friends said I had changed so much-and not for the better-I knew I had to make a decision. That's why I left him."

Jessica looked at her genuinely and pressed her friend's hand slightly. "You did damn right, girl."

"Jess..." Bella pleaded, sipping some more of her rum. "Can we now stop talking about him? It's kind of ruining our mood here."

Jessica scowled. "You brought it up, but okay. One last question though: how many years, Bella? How long have you been with him, wasting your best years on him?"

Bella crawled over, almost landing in her friend's lap due to her drunken state. "Drink up," she ordered, holding her glass to Jessica's lips.

"Oh my! That long?" Jessica asked.

Bella nodded. "Seven years."

Jessica's eyes widened.

"And I was a virgin when I met him," Bella added.

Jessica took a big swig from the rum.

"And there's never been another man." Bella took her glass from Jessica and finished it. "There you have it. Are you happy now?" She gave her friend another scowl, but then her lips curled up for a smile. "And that is where you come in, right?"

"Damn, right!" Jessica called out. "We're gonna have to find you a perfect hunk of a man who will fuck you seven ways to Sunday so you finally know what a real man is."

Three days later, they were sitting at First Beach in La Push with a couple of Jessica's friends, but Bella paid more attention to the other people on the beach than to the blathering going on around her.

Several boys played football further down the beach, while some brave ones were in the water, swimming, surfing or goofing around.

Bella shuddered a little. Although she was dressed in her jeans and a hoodie, she was still freezing. She wasn't accustomed to the rough climate of Washington state. There wasn't one day that was without rain, and she hadn't seen the sun since she had landed in Seattle. But, all things considered, she felt great. She was elated at having broken things off with Edward. She was free now for a fresh start, and she was looking forward to it.

A whooping sound pulled her out of thoughts. Close to the water, where the kids were playing football, a tussle had broken out and she watched as the football sailed high and finally was caught by a guy emerging from the water.

Bella swallowed. Damn, that guy was hot. Water ran down his broad back in rivulets. When he moved, bulky muscles rippled under his smooth russet skin. His inky black hair was in a messy disarray, curling around his ears and neck.

Her eyes travelled lower. His wide shoulders narrowed down to a slim waist. A tattoo covered part of his right shoulder and upper arm, winding down his left flank, disappearing somewhere on the front of his body. She assumed it ended on his lower stomach or still lower. A pleasant tingle shot through her body.

The water ended where she could see the swell of his ass. His pants, if he wore any at all, must have hanging dangerously low on his hips. He looked over his shoulder, while casually holding the football in his hands, shouting something to another guy who was standing on the beach.

"Who's that?" Bella breathed, clutching Jessica's hand.

Jessica was focused on that other guy, squinting against the sun in attempt to get a better view. "Huh?" she asked, clearly distracted.

"Him..." Bella tugged at her friend's arm. "Who is this? The guy in the water." Her voice took on a desperate edge. "Please tell me you know him!"

"I'm not sure," Jessica whined. "I'm not wearing my glasses. I'm so sorry, Bella." She squinted even more than before. "He could be anyone. The other guy, though, I recognize. It's Paul. Oh my..."

"What? That is Paul? Let's go over then, say hello," Bella suggested contrary to her usual shy demeanor and rose to her feet.

"No! Are you crazy? We can't go over there." Jessica tugged at her arm frantically, pulling her back down. "Let's watch them from afar for a while," she pleaded.

"Okay, but only a while, and then we go over..." Bella gave in, but it didn't stop the yearning in her belly. She wanted that hunk of a man to fuck her senseless because that was what she thought he looked like: able and willing to deliver passion, and most importantly, knowing how to really satisfy a woman.

"Fuck! Look at that body. Imagine him riding you good and hard." She was in awe, forgetting everything around her.

The man outside the water gesticulated wildly. The other one shrugged, turned around and tossed the ball back to the waiting boys. He strode out of the water, pulling up his trunks - he wore pants after all - and went after the man Jessica assumed to be Paul.

"That swagger..." Bella almost swooned. "And those long legs. Heaven help!" Then she realized that the two men were leaving, and she started to curse under her breath. "I told you we should go over. Now it's too late!" she berated Jessica.

Soon, the two men were gone from their sights. They didn't return, and after a while Bella and Jessica decided it was better to leave since it started raining again.

The rest of the day, Bella was in an incredibly foul mood, wishing they had been brave enough to approach those guys. She promised to herself that next time- if there ever was a next time -she would use her chance. She had wasted enough time as it was.

Bella couldn't stop thinking about that hot guy. His tanned, muscular body invaded her dreams. The picture of him coming out of the water fueled her fantasies. One night, she dreamed he was climbing through her window, a silent intruder that would take her, ravish her, and worship her body.

She woke up in the morning hot and bothered with her hand sliding down her body and between her legs. With a sigh she allowed herself the release she so desperately craved, wishing it was the gorgeous stranger caressing her. She was tired of taking care of herself. Obviously, even masturbating could get old and boring.

On Friday afternoon, Charlie told her that he was going to Billy's, since he was invited to watch the football game on TV.

"Billy Black?" Bella asked, suddenly remembering rainy afternoons and how she had played behind their house with Rachel and Rebecca, little Jake toddling behind them. "I wanted to ask you anyway... What do you know about Jacob? I mean, how is he doing?"

"Jake? Well, why don't you come and see for yourself? He sometimes watches the game with us when he has the time. Still lives with his old man, now that Billy is permanently wheelchair bound."

So it was decided. Bella was going to see her old childhood friend again, and something about it made her feel oddly excited.

She prepared lasagna to take with them, and then took a shower. She actually put on mascara and some lip-gloss and also curled her hair. She didn't know why, but she wanted to look her best. Dressed in her white skinny jeans, a form-fitting blue shirt that showed some cleavage but not too much, and her new nude-look peeptoes, she felt sexy but wasn't overdressed.

Charlie gave her an appreciative nod. "Looking great, Bells."

On their way to Billy's Charlie told her a little about the Black's. Rachel and Rebecca had left the reservation as soon as they finished high school. Rebecca got hitched right in her first year of college and was now living in Hawaii with her Samoan husband. Rachel had finished college, and lived and worked as a teacher in Seattle.

Jacob had made his hobby, tinkering with cars, his profession and was working as an auto mechanic, hoping to build up his own business at some point. "He seems to be a decent guy," Charlie said. He had always liked Jacob almost as if he was his own son. "Although... He has a wild streak, too. Had to arrest him one night when he had beat up some guy pretty badly. It turned out the guy had insulted the tribe and Jake's heritage. That's not something Jake takes easily."

They arrived at La Push and Bella immediately recognized the little one-story red house. She grabbed the lasagna, clambered out of the cruiser and followed Charlie inside, who let himself him with a sharp rap at the front door.

"Look who I brought!" he called out stepping inside. Billy rolled himself out of a room down the hall way. He looked a lot older than Bella remembered. His once black hair was now mixed with gray strands; deep wrinkles were etched in his skin. "Is that you, Bella?" he asked with a smile.

"Hi Billy," she said, a little shy, but nevertheless starting to feel like she was coming home. "Good to see you."

"Good to see you too, Bella. And you brought food?" Billy's face lit up even more, and then he cackled. "We won't need to eat Jake's crap then. That boy can't cook if his life depended on it."

"Yeah, made lasagna. I put it in the oven real quick, alright?" Bella looked around. "Kitchen's still over there?" She pointed across the hallway and carried the casserole dish into the kitchen.

"Make yourself at home, girl. This place is in desperate need of a female hand," Billy called after her.

She put the lasagna in the oven and cranked up the heat, wondering if Jacob was at home. She stuck her head out of the kitchen real quick and glanced down the hallway where Jacob's room used to be. The door to his room was open. Maybe he was out. A bit disappointed, she went and searched through the cupboards until she found the plates and set the table. With a bit of luck, he would be home when the game started. She realized she really wanted to see him.

The kitchen was clean, but she still wiped down the counter, just to busy her hands. She was so nervous, her hands were almost shaking. "It's just Jake," she mumbled to herself.

The clapping of a door startled her and she whipped around, finding a giant of a man staring into the opened refrigerator. Bella's heart started to pound furiously. She would recognize THAT amazing back everywhere, but up close it was even more impressive. Could it be that this was the hunk she had seen on the beach?

He only wore cut-off jeans, again hanging very low on his hips, and rubbed down his hair with a towel, while searching through the fridge.

She couldn't help but slowly walk up on him, leaving only a couple of feet between them, staring with rapt attention at his bulging muscles, his russet skin and the tattoo that enhanced those features even more.

Alarmed by the noise her heels made on the floor, the man turned around.

She forgot to breathe, being face to face with this wall of large muscles covered by smooth skin. She forgot that their fathers were in the next room. She forgot about the lasagna in the oven. Nothing but him existed for her at this moment.

Her eyes moved from his broad shoulders to the square pecs of his nearly hairless chest. She admired his dark nipples before taking in the most defined abs she had ever seen and the sexiest v-shaped lines that came from above his hips to curve down to his groin. Studying him, also got an answer to her question where his tattoo was ending... the last long line disappeared beneath the underwear waistband peeking out his cut-offs.

Heat spread through her body. Her hands twitched, longing to touch and explore each of those well-formed muscles and sharp lines that were evenly distributed across his frame. When she finally realized that she was blatantly staring, she drew in a shocked gasp.

Looking up, she met amused, charcoal eyes that bored into hers and held the contact. His eyes were captivating, burning with an intensity that was overwhelming.

The spark between them was instantly and not to ignore, the sexual tension almost tangible.

God, he was beautiful.

"Jake..." she breathed, recognizing the familiarity to the boy he had once been in his manly features. The attraction she felt for him was so strong that all she could think of was putting her hands on him, and she shook her head to clear it from the lusty haze.

His face was proud with defined cheekbones, straight, heavy eyebrows and a strong jawline. His lips, though, looked soft and kissable.

He towered over her, making her feel tiny with his height and the mass of muscles.

"Bells?" he asked bewildered. "Is that you?" His voice was deep, rich, and a bit husky.

"Yes," she said at a loss of words and lowered her eyes, trying to break the spell.

When she looked back up, she found him staring at her. His eyes wandered over her body, darkening as he studied her like she had been studying him a second ago, and clearly appreciating what he saw.

She could feel her chest heaving when his eyes lingered for a moment at her cleavage.

His tongue darted out, wetting his full lips. He stepped closer, invading her personal space.

Her heart was racing, blood rushed into her face, and her breathing became heavy. She could smell him now. She could feel the warmth radiating off him. He was standing that close. He smelled of rain and the forests around La Push. A sigh of appreciation slipped past her lips.

"Does my being half-naked bother you?" he asked in his sexy voice. His breath ghosted over her skin, leaving goosebumps in its wake.

"Not at all," she responded, giving him a coy smile, and bit her lower lip.

He reached out, his hand brushing her hip, and grabbed a glass that was standing on the counter. He was deliciously close when he leaned around her, backing her into the counter.

Her breath hitched. Where he had touched her, her skin tingled pleasantly. He could have kissed her now and she wouldn't mind. Instead, he filled the glass with water from the tap, set it to his lips and drank it up in one go.

Her mouth fell open. Watching his Adam's apple move was just so... sexy. It made her want to do all kind of dirty things. There was something about him that was simply irresistible.

"So you came to live at Charlie's now?" he asked casually, putting the glass back on the counter. This time his arm faintly brushed her stomach and she shivered with pleasure. He was teasing her!

She tossed her hair behind her shoulder flirtatiously and put her hand on his strong arm. "Yes. I was looking for a change." She recognized that his eyes fell to the swell of her breasts, before moving up her neck and finally linger at her lips.

Suddenly, he leaned forward and kissed her lightly, his lips gently brushing over hers for a short second.

She blinked in confusion and looked up at him. A deep blush heated up her cheeks.

"I'm really looking forward to getting to know you again..." he murmured, and pulled her in his arms, embracing her, holding her tightly.

She breathed in his scent, feeling delicate and desired. "Me too," she spoke into his chest.

She realized she had fallen in love.

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